Staying motivated into February and beyond

The beginning of February sees many people call time on the New Year’s resolution that they made at the start of the year. There are many reasons people make when they let their resolutions fall by the wayside however with a little preparation and some mind over matter thinking the start of a new calendar month can also mean a chance to renew your efforts.

Keeping Fit

One of the most common new year’s resolutions, whether for weight loss or just to up your overall fitness having gone out and bought all the gear in January, usually by half way through February it is found gathering dust in the back of the wardrobe. If you feel like you have hit a plateau, try looking at the amount of calories you are taking in. There are some handy food swaps which you can try, such as adding cinnamon to your tea or coffee in place of sugar. There are also lots of useful weight loss tips and videos online, such as these from My Voucher Codes. If you are lacking with your motivation try:

Make a deal with yourself, half an hour of working out in exchange for the latest episode of your favourite show. Having an instant reward post work out can really help on days when your motivation is lacking.

Try and get your friends involved to provide that extra motivation.

Look at when you are working out to see if that’s causing problems. If you are struggling to find the motivation to go to the gym in an evening consider going before work.

Saving

If you have saved this month, then why not allow yourself one small reward. If you have given up your weekly takeaway, then allow yourself a cheat week. So long as you are confident that one small spend won’t open the flood gates, there is no harm in rewarding yourself. Also, knowing that you won’t be cutting back on everything you love forever will help give you the motivation you need to continue. Other tips to help save are:

Plan ahead. Knowing what the future holds means you are more likely to budget for it and we don’t mean just for the little things. If you are going to the cinema at the weekend, pick up some popcorn from the supermarket, to take with you, as part of that week’s shop.

Stopping smoking

Giving up smoking is one of the most difficult New Year’s resolutions to stick to. If you are beginning to feel your resolve weakening try remembering what motivated you to give up in the first place. If you haven’t already write a list, so you can look at it whenever you feel your resolve weakening. Now might also be the time to take some of the money you have saved and treat yourself, which will help you find some more motivation to stick with it. Other tips to help you give up smoking are:

Make some new non-smoking friends

Kill those cravings with 5 minutes of exercise

Look at your diet, different foods and drinks can help make cigarettes taste worse.

When you find yourself struggling repeat to yourself “I will not take a single drag” and repeat this until the craving passes.

Look into nicotine replacement therapy and talk to your doctor or a local pharmacist who will be able to help.